It is known that vinyl chloride-ethylene copolymers prepared using polyvinyl alcohol as the stabilizing agent according to European Pat. Publication No. 0 150 059 published 31 July 1985 demonstrate better water resistance than would be expected for such a polyvinyl alcohol-containing emulsion copolymer. However, vinyl chloride polymers characteristically have poor solvent resistance.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,501,440 discloses in Example 5 and reference Examples 5-6 the use of polyvinyl alcohol as the suspension agent in the copolymerization of ethylene with vinyl chloride.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,642,740 discloses that vinyl chloride homo- and copolymers can be prepared in an aqueous emulsion using as the emulsifier system an alkali metal salt of a sulfated C.sub.8 -C.sub.18 fatty alcohol, a tallow fatty alcohol or an epoxidized unsaturated fatty acid oil, and a complex organic phosphate ester or salt derivative.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,689,447 discloses that heat resistant copolymers of ethylene and vinyl chloride can be prepared by the use of a seed latex in the aqueous composition for emulsion polymerization, together with heat-activated initiation of between 50.degree. and 85.degree. C. by water-soluble persulfates or peroxydiphosphates.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,875,130 discloses the preparation of homo- and copolymers of vinyl chloride in which the polymerization of the monomer composition is carried out in the presence of a seeding product prepared by the polymerization in emulsion or fine suspension.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,895,167 discloses a metal coating composition comprising a vinyl chloride-ethylene copolymer and a heat curable, thermal setting aminoplast resin mixture of a methylolated ethyleneurea resin and an alkylated triazine/formaldehyde condensate.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,133,791 discloses the preparation of an aqueous ethylene-containing copolymer dispersion by polymerizing an aqueous monomer mixture of ethylene and at least one monomer copolymerizable with ethylene under conventional ethylene copolymerization conditions in the presence of from 1 to 15 wt % of 70 to 100% hydrolyzed polyvinyl alcohol.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,150,210 discloses a one-step process for the emulsion polymerization of vinyl chloride and, optionally, comonomers using a watersoluble initiator or initiator system and a mixed emulsifier system.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,189,415 discloses aqueous vinyl chloride-vinyl acetate-ethylene copolymer dispersions containing only polyvinyl alcohol as the protective colloid. All the polyvinyl alcohol or only part of it can be introduced at the beginning, the ethylene pressure applied is kept constant and the polymerization temperature is 10.degree.-85.degree. C., preferably 20.degree.-50.degree. C.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,331,577 discloses a method for preparing ethylene-containing copolymer emulsions by the selective addition of the monomers mixture to the reactor in response to pressure variation and the maintenance of a monomer on saturation condition in the reactor.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,528,315 discloses a process for the preparation of aqueous polymer emulsions of vinyl halides and/or vinyl esters and additional monomers in the absence of emulsifying agents. Example 9 shows a vinyl chloride-vinyl acetate-ethylene copolymer also containlng hydroxypropyl acrylate, acrylamide and acrylic acid.